You could just stay
by Rockeh
Summary: Formerly Why are you still here?. Gaara is found unconcious is a clearing, and Sakura must care for him. But what happens when he has to live with her? And will Naruto bring Sasuke back? Rated T for unknown future. GaaSak, maybe more. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! My very first fanfic. Please read and review!! I like advice on how to write better**

**Probably wont be very related to anything in any plot, and characters may be OOC.**

**I do not own any of them. Duh.**

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Pushing away yet another pointless form, Sakura groaned loudly, trying to catch the attention of her superior. But looking over at Tsunade, she either didn't hear or didn't care about making Sakura work so early in the morning. Sakura stood, stretched and grimaced, and took a stroll round the office, preparing herself to finish the rest of the stack of papers. She had been working since an hour after dawn, and had only done a quarter of her workload in the three hours since. Sighing she sat back down and pulled the next page towards her.

She had just filled in the top lines when Tsunade gave a groan, and lifted her head off her desk for the first time since she had set Sakura to work. Bleary eyed, she looked around the room, caught sight of Sakura, who frowned at her, then rested her head back on the desk. Within moments, loud snores were filling the room and Sakura was glaring at Tsunade in between written words.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and a medic ran in without invitation. He addressed the sleeping Tsunade at once.

"Hokage-sama! We have an emergency, you must-"

He was cut short as she pointed one finger at Sakura, and empty bottle still clutched in her hand. The medic turned unsurely to Sakura, who waved impatiently for him to continue.

"Uh, a ninja from Suna was found in a clearing in the forest. The clearing he was found in had clear signs of a struggle, and bodies being dragged off. He has been brought it, and is in a stable condition, but he has not awoken, and we cannot find what ails him."

"Okay." Sakura stood; assuring with a glance that Tsunade was in no state to attend such matters. Shuffling her papers quickly into neat piles, she turned to the medic.

"Get me a kit, and meet me down at the ward."

He nodded, and they hurried out the door.

Sakura opened the door to the ninja's room quietly, but soon found that she may as well have slammed it open. A young redhead lay unconscious on the only bed, and a handful of young nurses were chatting loudly and his bedside.

"Where is his chart?" Sakura asked, causing the nurses to jump slightly. One quickly handed her the board, which reveal nothing other than a few broken ribs and his stable condition. She nodded, and looked at the youth before her.

His red hair fell messily over his face, partially covering the mark on his forehead. His eyes were dark rimmed, even in while he was unconscious. Sakura gave a smile that was more of a grimace, for she knew the person before her. Gaara no Sabaku, the Kazekage of Suna, who had long since threatened her with death.

_Strange to see him sleeping, _she thought to herself, _he look… sort of innocent._

_And kind of cute, _said a silent part of herself, which she quickly scolded with a frown.

"Why was I not informed that this was the Kazekage?" she looked accusingly at the nurses, who looked bewildered.

"W-we didn't know, ma'am," one of the youngest stammered.

"Right. Summon me when he awakens," she said, and turned promptly from the room with a disapproving frown.

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**Please review!!**

**Thanks!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter!! I hope y'all like it, and I'm sorry it took so long. I got lazy. But the next chapter will be soon!!**

**Probably wont be very related to anything in any plot, and characters may be OOC.**

**I do not own any of them. Duh.**

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--Later that day--

"Sakura?"

Looking up quickly from her work, the pink-haired kunoichi glanced at the clock before facing her master. It was about time for her to leave, and she was looking forward to it after such a dreary day of doing Tsunade's paperwork of her.

"Sakura, the Kazekage has still not awoken. He is, obviously, a patient of the utmost importance, and I would like you to stay with him until he regains consciousness."

Sakura, looking slightly crestfallen, packed her things and went on her way.

She entered the ward, and found her new charge exactly as she had left him earlier. Sighing, she pulled up a chair to his bedside and threw herself in to it. It was going to be a long night. She sat there, bored, watching the slow breathing of the shinobi before her until, eventually, it lulled her into sleep.

Slowly, Gaara realized he was awake. It was an unfamiliar experience for him, having spent most of his childhood as an insomniac, and not breaking this habit even since he was freed of Shukaku. Slowly, he opened his eyes, blearily taking in his dim, unfamiliar surroundings. He seemed to be in a hospital, though how he had gotten there, he did not know. He remembered being ambushed, a huge number of people attacking him all at once, and then nothing. Groaning softly, he shifted his arm, and was surprised by a jolt of pain. This was also new for him. He tried moving his other arm, and was even more surprised when he felt it touch a person. Awkwardly, he pushed himself into a sitting position, ignoring the pain, to look better at this curiosity. It was clearly a girl, due to the cherry-blossom hair, but he could not see her face. Cautiously, he pushed her head to the side, trying to get a better look at her, and was shocked when she spoke.

"Mmph… Not now, Naruto." The girl muttered sleepily, waving her hand at the annoyance. He regarded the girl with more curiosity now, for he and Naruto had become close friends at previous times. After a moment, he realized that it was the girl he had threatened when he had first met Naruto, and also the girl who had been there to help bring him back to life. He couldn't remember her name, but he knew her face. She looked a lot more mature, and stronger, then she had before, but he couldn't work out why she was sleeping at his bedside.

"Hey," he said, surprised how raspy his voice was. When she didn't stir, he gave her a nudge.

"Hey," he spoke a little louder this time, and it worked.

Blearily, she opened her eyes and yawned, then suddenly seemed to realize where she was.

"Uh, Kazekage-sama, you're awake!" She jumped to her feet with a shaky bow.

_Her voice is annoying, _Gaara thought.

"Yes," he said, thinking she was also slow to catch on.

"I must tell the Hokage-sama, she will need to speak with you. I shall be right back," she bowed again, and made to leave, but a glance at the clock stopped her. It was 2 o'clock in the morning. Tsuande would be in no state to talk to her Suna equal, even if she was awake. Sakura sighed, running her hand through her hair.

"It would be best if I waited until morning to fetch her. Is that alright with you?" she turned back to the shinobi, who nodded.

"Well, in the meantime, is there anything you need?"

"…No…"

"Just tell me if there is. You should rest now. I'll just sit here," Sakura slid back into her chair, trying to remain attentive.

Gaara lay back, watching her from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, he spoke.

"What's your name?" his voice was quiet, but Sakura jumped as if he had shouted.

"S-Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

"Mmm," _I must remember to thank her, _he thought.

He continued to watch her secretly, and within the next few minutes, her head began to slump. He had to try not to laugh at the way she jumped up when she realized she had been dozing, looking foolish. She repeated this a couple of times, taking longer to wake up each time, providing Gaara with some amusement, until at last, he heard light snores coming from her. Grinning slyly, he settled back to stare at the roof.

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**Please review!!**

**Thanks!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Heres the next chapter!**

**Probably wont be very related to anything in any plot, and characters may be OOC. **

**I do not own any of them. Duh. **

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Gaara must have fallen asleep, for he was once again aware of being awake. He opened his eyes, but closed them straight away at the light. Opening his eyes more cautiously, he saw that the fluorescent lights had been turned on.

There was a pink splodge at the side of his vision, which he turned towards. It was Sakura, and she was with a taller, big-breasted blonde lady who he recognized as the Hokage.

"Kazekage," the Hokage nodded gravely.

Gaara pushed himself up into a sitting position.

"Hokage," he returned the nod.

Suddenly, Tsunade turned to Sakura.

"Sakura, please go get Kakashi and bring him here."

Sakura nodded, and went from the room at once. She had been hoping to hear what had happened to Gaara, but was not surprised very surprised when she was sent away.

"Never get to listen to the interesting things, do I?" she muttered to herself while she looked for Kakashi.

Sakura found him quickly, and led him back to Gaara's room. Tsunade was standing outside, talking quietly with one of the nurses. Having caught sight of the pair, she beckoned them over as the nurse walked away.

"Sakura, I'm leaving you in charge of the Kazekage's recovery. You will be relieved of your other duties until he is well enough, and I expect that to be soon," she instructed.

"Yes," Sakura bowed politely, knowing that it was a great honour to be charged with such an important patient.

"Now, Kakashi, I need to talk to you about that mission. Who do you think would be best…" Tsunade walked away with Kakashi, her voice quieting with every step.

Sakura sighed, and slid open the door to the ward. Gaara was still sitting there, watching her, his face expressionless.

"Kazekage-sama," she bowed. "I will-"

"Call me Gaara," he cut across her.

"O-okay, Gaara-sama. I will be in charge of your recovery, however long it may take. If there is anything you need, please ask."

He nodded, and settled back down onto his bed, turning his eyes to the roof.

"Just tell a nurse if you need me, I will be back tomorrow." He answered her with silence, as she bowed and left the room.

THE NEXT DAY

Sakura closed and locked the door of her flat slowly, and meandered down the street. It had been extraordinarily boring the day before, looking after Gaara, and she was not about to hurry to another.

She dawdled on her way to the hospital, taking a look at the stalls of the market that was on that day. When she finally arrived at the hospital, it was far too late for her to delay any longer, so she began to climb the stairs with a sigh.

"Hey, Sakura!" came a familiar shout from behind. It was Naruto.

Sakura turned to him, hoping to get a few more minutes of delay with talk, but she stopped at the feverish look on his face,

"Sakura, come quickly. Tsunade needs both of us. It's important!" he ran off without even stopping, and Sakura ran after him.

"Naruto, Sakura, there has been an important advance in the Sasuke case. A team has just returned with solid information on the whereabouts, plans and companions of Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto and Sakura glanced at each other, excited.

"I'm putting together a team to track and capture him. Naruto, you will be on this team. Nara Shikamaru will be leading it, and Hyuuga Neji will be his backup. Also on this team will be Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Akimichi Choji and Tenten. Sakura, I need you to recommend a top medic Nin, to go with the team."

"But, Tsunade-sama, why can't-"

"I need you here. The team that brought the information came back severely injured, and also spoke about the team that had help get them out of there, who are most likely in the same state. I need you here to help in the emergency surgery, for both teams, and to prepare for the arrival of this team," she waved her hand at Naruto, "I'm sorry. But it is best if you stay here."

Sakura sighed, and nodded. She couldn't argue with the Hokage. It could only be a good thing that she was needed for important surgery, but…

"I recommend Yamanaka Ino, her skill has improved greatly under her recent training, and she may be of help in a fight." Sakura said stiffly.

"Yes, I agree, thank you. Naruto, your team leaves tomorrow morning at dawn. Meet at the main gate with your gear, and at least a weeks supplies. Go gather the rest of the team, and bring them here for briefing. This is your chance, Naruto."

"Yes!" he shouted, and with a sympathetic glance at Sakura, he bolted out.

Sakura began to follow him, but Tsunade stopped her.

"Sakura, how is the Kazekage?" she inquired.

"He is improving with unusual speed," came the cold reply.

Tsunade nodded, understanding why she was upset, and dismissed Sakura.

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**Please review!! **

**Thanks!! **

**And the next chapter might be a while... I'm not too sure how to write it yet... And look out for another fic i will be starting, which will only be about 2 chapters long. Its NejixTenten, so yeaa. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's another chapter. I think this is my longest one yet. And 4 chapters is the longest story i have ever written. WOW i am actually sticking to something... anyway...**

**Theres probably a lot of OOC in this chapter. BUT then again, there is nothing to prove that Gaara doesnt act like this after Shukaku is gone, if you think about it.**

**If I owned Naruto, this wouldnt be just a fanfic.**

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Everyone knew that Sakura was in a bad mood that day. Most of the hospital staff had the wisdom to avoid her, knowing her incredible strength, but one new nurse asked her how to use a certain herb. The glare she received left her shaking for a good half hour.

Even Gaara, who barely looked at anything other than the roof, noticed something was wrong.

"Excuse me," for the first time since his childhood, his instincts told him to be polite. "Is there something wrong?"

Sakura rounded on him with a glare, for the simple fact that he dared to speak to her. This did not affect him at all, his face staying in the usual emotionless mask.

After a few seconds filled with silence and glares, Sakura gave in, and spoke.

"No, nothing is wrong," she forced as much spite as she could into those words.

"Don't lie. It isn't becoming of you. And it is obvious something is wrong, you're not exactly hiding it. It's obvious you just want something."

These words almost sparked a new glare from Sakura, but it didn't happen. She could not muster enough anger to keep it going. Even though his words were completely rude, she just sighed.

"I do not want something."

"…"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Sakura just looked at him. She hated the way he was making her felt like a jealous, spoiled child. _But, _she thought grumpily _That's probably how I'm acting. Still, he has no right to insult me like this._

"Is there anything you need, Kazekage-sama?"

"Call me Gaara. And yes. Would you play Shogi with me?"

Sakura jumped slightly as a shogi board formed before her, comprised entirely of sand.

"I suppose so," she said, slightly nervous. She had been taught to play by Shikamaru at a get together of Ino's, but that had been a long time ago.

"You do know how to play?" he asked, making her feel like a child once again.

"Yes! I'm just… a bit rusty," she replied indignantly.

"Hn."

They played a first game in silence, and Gaara won very easily.

"Another game?" Sakura asked him, having been surprised by how much she had enjoyed the first.

Gaara nodded, and his sand set the board up again in an instant.

They began again in silence, but halfway through, Gaara spoke.

"You never told me what was wrong."

Sakura looked at him with empty eyes, and would have crushed the piece she was holding in her hand if it had not been made of Gaara's sand.

"You really want to know, don't you?" she spoke evenly, placing the piece into obvious danger without realizing.

"Yes," Gaara took out the piece with a motion of finality, and looked at her calmly.

Sakura sighed, putting her head in her arms, and began to speak.

"You know about the whole Sasuke thing, right?" she didn't wait for an answer, "They have discovered a lot of information of his whereabouts and companions and such. And they are sending a team to retrieve him. And I am not to be on this team."

She looked up, defiance in her eyes and voice.

"It was meant to be me bringing him back. Me and Naruto. We were going to bring him back together, to be a team once more. But no, Tsunade sends my friends, and Naruto, and gets me to choose who is to go in my place. This may be the last chance we have, and I am expected to stay here and do everyone's bidding while the person I am meant to be getting back is being fetched by everyone else!"

She stood up, slamming her hands down onto the side of Gaara's bed, sending the Shogi board flying.

"It's not fair!" she yelled, spinning round and storming to the window, as she suddenly felt like the small room could not hold her anger.

She had opened the window, and was climbing on to the window sill, when she felt a hand grip her arm. She tried shaking it off, but it gripped on tighter.

"What are you doing?" Gaara looked at her with confusion and annoyance.

"Let go of me."

"If you tell me what you are doing."

"Going somewhere else."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Why?"

"Why do you care?"

Gaara just stared at her, then let go and returned to his bed.

_He's making me feel like a child again! If I could just hit him this once…_

_**Do it, do it do it! **_

_No, I can't. You always want me to do stupid things._

_**Because you would never do anything interesting if I didn't. Now either get out that window, or hit the stupid fool!**_

Sighing inwardly, she slid lightly off the window sill, doing neither of the things her rebellious other half wanted her to do.

"Kaze-"

"I said call me Gaara."

"Gaara-sama,would you like to continue our game?" Sakura asked lightly, trying not to portray her real emotions.

The board reformed itself from sand before her, the pieces exactly as they were before she knocked them askew.

They played in silence for a short while longer, but were interrupted by a knock on the door. It slid open to reveal a young nurse, who bowed to Gaara.

"Sakura-san," she said, turning to the kunochi. "The healing of the teams that the Hokage-sama spoke to you about is about to began. You were specifically requested to lead the healings."

"Yes, I shall come now, if the Ka- Gaara-sama doesn't mind," she glanced at Gaara, who merely nodded, the board dispersing back into his gourd.

Sakura bowed to Gaara, and followed the young nurse.

x-x-x-x-x

That evening, Sakura trudged home slowly, exhausted from the day of constant chakra use. The teams had been fully healed, and were now out of critical condition, and should be walking again within a short space of time.

When she reached her flat, Sakura threw herself straight into bed, not even bothering to change. She slept quickly, her anger of the morning forgotten.

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**Thar we go. Please review. It makes me want to write more. D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Rocky: Hiii everyone! New chapter up!! This was fun to write. The title of this story, and the summary are probably going to change next chapter, so keep your eyes out. And i now have some helpers to do this start and finish bits! Yay!**

**Deidara: Please kill me.**

**Rocky: You wish. Now say it.**

**Deidara: No.**

**Rocky: Say it.**

**Deidara: You cant make me.**

**Rocky: Do it. Or i rip this up.**

**Deidara: She doesnt own Naruto. Give me back my Gaara plushie now!**

**Rocky: gives the soft toy Enjoy, girl-pants. And enjoy the story!**

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The next morning, Sakura awoke with a headache that rivaled a train wreck. Her whole body was aching from the massive amount of chakra she had used the day before, she had slept in her tight clothes which were now digging into her, and to make matters worse, the sun had reached the exact angle that it shone directly into her face through her open curtains.

Moaning slightly, Sakura rolled over, to face her alarm clock. Cracking open her eyes, she glanced at the harsh red numbers.

9:49.

She was meant to be at the hospital an hour ago. Stiffly, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and pushed herself into a sitting position. Her clothes felt gross and sweaty, so she decided to care for that first, and stumbled off to a shower.

Fifteen minutes later, she was locking her door deftly, and walking hurriedly to the hospital.

It was at the stairs to the hospital when she finally remembered yesterday's events, and her exclusion from the Sasuke retrieval team.

It would have been several hours since they had left by now.

Sakura was surprised how little anger she felt now about the whole affair, considering how she had felt when she had first heard the news.

_I guess I'm used to being left out of this kind of stuff by now, _she thought, pushing open the door to the reception. She gave a friendly wave to the receptionist, who raised her eyebrows at her.

"You're a bit late."

"I overslept a bit."

"So I see," the receptionist giggled a little, glad to see that Sakura was not in the same mood as the day before. "Tsunade-sama wants to see you in about..." she shuffled for some paper on her desk. "Ah, here it is. Oh. You were meant to see her 5 minutes ago."

"Shit. I'll see you later then," Sakura rushed off, narrowly avoiding running into a nurse with arms full of jars.

Sliding to a halt on the slippery floor outside the Hokage's office, Sakura raised her fist to knock on the door, but hesitated. The door was ever so slightly ajar, and she could hear Tsunade speaking with someone.

"- foolish to leave with the Chuunin exams coming up so soon. You would just get to Suna when you turned around to come back," Sakura could hear her master saying.

"That is true."

The speaker was none other than Gaara.

"Well, you must stay here. But, unfortunately, the Hokage's mansion burnt down just last month, and that is normally where we would house the Kazekage. We could put you into one of the hotels, if that is okay with you."

"That would be fine."

"Um, Tsunade-sama," Shizune piped up. "The hotels are all full. The lords from all the countries have arrived for the Chuunin exams early this year."

"Oh. Well, you could… Uh… Shizune, where could our noble guest stay?"

"Don't look at me!"

Sakura almost giggled at the thought of Shizune's face at that moment, but bit her tongue so as to not get caught eavesdropping.

"I could stay with an acquaintance in the village," Gaara suggested.

Tsunade paused for a moment. "Yes, that is the best option, if you wish it. Did you have anyone in mind?"

"Naruto." Gaara replied almost instantly.

"Oh. I'm sorry, but right now, Naruto is on a very important mission. Anyone else?" Tsunade asked.

"Rock Lee?" Gaara hesitated slightly this time.

"He is on the same mission. Any other preferences?"

There was silence, and Sakura presumed that Gaara was shaking his head.

"Would you let me suggest a possible one?" Tsunade asked, as Sakura heard her pushing away from her desk.

"Of course."

"Sakura, open the door. You can stop eavesdropping now."

_Shit._

Opening the door ashamedly, she took a step into the room and bowed shakily, her face red with embarrassment.

"Gaara-sama, Tsunade-sama."

Sakura saw Tsunade's eyes widen at the use of Gaara's first name, and give a tiny grin before her master frowned.

"You're late. And that was very rude," she scolded the pink haired kunoichi.

"I'm deeply sorry, to you both."

"Don't worry, Sakura. I know that yesterday was your biggest healing yet, and you were meant to be here for this conversation anyway."

Sakura threw a thankful glance at Tsunade, then stared at the floor.

"Now, I was about to suggest someone for you to stay with." The blonde turned back to Gaara, eyes wide with mirth. "How would you like to stay with Sakura?"

Sakura's head rocketed up, face still slightly pink, shocked by these words.

"B-b-but, Tsunade-sama! My flat is-"

"That would be fine," Gaara answered, talking over Sakura.

"Well then, it's settled. You shall stay with Sakura for the duration of the Chuunin exams. Lovely. And this comes with the added bonus of her being able to keep an eye on you while you finish up getting better! I'm sure Sakura will be the perfect host. Won't you, Sakura?" The Hokage rounded on the girl, still stuttering about how small her flat was, who quickly she shut up.

"Yes, Hokage-sama," Sakura said awkwardly.

"Fantastic! Sakura, don't worry about work today, you show your guest around and get him settle in. Hurry along now!"

Tsunade bustled the pair from her office hurriedly, before either could get a word in, and shut the door in their faces.

"What was that all about?" Shizune questioned her master.

"Ohohoho you'll see," Tsunade grinned at her, then looked around. "Get me something to drink."

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Outside the office, Gaara stood coolly, as though he had not just been rushed from the Hokage's office by the slightly insane blonde. Sakura stared at the door, confused by the behaviour of her mentor. It took her a moment to remember Gaara, and when she did, she span around so fast that she almost lost her balance. Stumbling slightly, she stood before him, avoiding his eyes.

"G-Gaara-sama. Would you like to get your things now?" she stuttered.

"Hn." He nodded, and began walking down the hall, towards his former ward. Sakura followed, noticing how fast she had to walk to keep up with his steady pace.

Once at the ward, Sakura stood by the door, watching Gaara pack up the few belongings he had into a bag, which he then put into his gourd. Strapping it onto his back, he turned to her.

"Lead the way."

Sakura nodded, and began to walk towards the exit. Gaara followed a few steps behind her, his face impassive. When the pair walked past the receptionist, she raised her eyebrow at Sakura, who returned it with a grim smile.

They walk silently through the streets of Konoha, Sakura silently hoping that she saw no one she knew.

Reaching her flat without incident, she unlocked the door and stepped through, leaving it open for Gaara. For the first time since the hospital, Sakura broke the silence.

"I don't know why Tsunade was so insistent you stay here. My flat only has one bedroom. I'll sleep on the couch, and you can have my room. Just let me tidy it up a bit."

She strode swiftly across the room and went through one of the doors on the opposite wall.

Gaara followed cautiously, trying not the knock anything with his gourd.

"You don't have to give me your room. I'm happy with the couch."

Sakura's head span around, and she saw him leaning in her door frame. Frantically, she stuffed the things she was holding into a draw and stood up, sliding the draw closed with her foot.

"Nonsense, you're my guest. You have the bed. I insist. And, plus, you are still not fully healed, you should be sleeping properly."

"…"

"I wont take no for an answer," she said with a tone of finality.

"Alright."

Smiling inwardly at this small victory, she gestured to the top draw of the dresser she was leaning against.

"You can put your stuff in this draw if you want. I'll let you get settled in, then."

She walked to the door, in which Gaara was still standing. She waited for an awkward moment for him to move, but he didn't, he just stood there, staring at her as though sizing her up. Uncomfortably, she pushed past him, managing for the most part to avoid touching him.

"Sakura."

She turned to him.

"Thank you."

"No problem?"

He looked at her appraisingly, and walked into her room.

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**Rocky: Please review. It will make you healthy.**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm sorry this chapter took so long! I have had a very hectic term and i got addicted to a very long series of fanfics. But now it is the holidays, so i shall be bored, and write a lot. **

**I'm not too happy with this chapter, but i wanted to get it finished.**

**Probably wont be very related to anything in any plot, and characters may be OOC.**

**If i owned Naruto, Gaara would be the main character, and Tenten would have a back story.**

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Half an hour later, Sakura was sitting tensely on the arm of her couch, straining to hear any noise coming from her bedroom. She could not begin to fathom what was taking the red-head so long to unpack, for he had so few possessions with him.

Every so often she would hear a shuffle of feet, but nothing that gave her the idea that he would be coming out soon.

Glancing at the clock, she realized it was almost lunch time. With a sigh, she stood, stretching her shoulders. She had been sitting in that position since she had left her room, and she hadn't realized how tense she was.

Taking the small amount of steps to her room, she grabbed the handle, but hesitated, then knocked. There was a small scuffle, but no reply, so she opened the door.

Gaara was sitting on her bed, a familiar photo frame in his hands.

"Gaara-sama, would you like to have lunch now?" she asked stiffly, recognizing the photo as the one of her parents that she kept by her bed.

"…That would be good." He replaced the photo carefully, and stood.

"Would you like me to make something here, or would you like to go out somewhere?"

"Either."

_Not very helpful, _thought Sakura. "Well, I'll just make something up quickly here."

Gaara nodded slowly, leaving an awkward silence. After a moment, Sakura backed out of the room, feeling like an intruder in her own room.

xxxxxxxxx

The next two days followed a pattern of Gaara staying around Sakura's flat, while she did shifts in the hospital, then Sakura showing him around Konoha in the evenings. They didn't talk a lot, as they had nothing to talk about, but they got along fine with the mutual silence.

On the third day, Sakura had the day off.

"Gaara-sama, what would you like for breakfast?"

Silently, the Kazekage got up off the couch and walked to the kitchen where Sakura was standing. He pulled open one of the cupboards and took out a box of cereal, without a saying a word.

"Are you sure you don't want me to cook something?"

Gaara shook his head, and found himself a bowl and spoon. Sighing inwardly, Sakura leant against the bench, bored.

Sighing again, this time outwardly, she pushed herself up to sit on the bench.

"What would you like to do today?" She eyed Gaara, who had just poured milk onto his cereal. He shrugged, and carried his bowl to the table. Sakura rolled her eyes at this common display of antisocial-ness.

"Well, I'm going to have a shower." She watched him for any sign of a reply, but didn't get one. Sliding off the bench, she made for the bathroom.

xxxxxxxx

Sakura put on her training clothes, and dried her hair roughly with her towel. Stretching her arms as she did so, she went to open the door, but paused when she heard talking.

She could hear Gaara's deep voice talking to another, younger male voice that was annoyingly familiar. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying. She opened the door.

"…Kazekage. That's so cool! And you're friends with Naruto, who's gonna be Hokage, and…"

"Hi, Konohamaru," Sakura sighed.

"Sakura-nee-san!" He bounded over to her.

"What do you want?" she asked. The boy became serious.

"Ah, Tsunade-baa-chan wants to see you. She said it was urgent."

"How urgent?"

Konohamaru looked at her slyly. "Sasuke urgent."

"I'm going."

Grabbing her bag on the way past, Sakura climbed out the open window.

"Show Gaara around, would you, Konohamaru?" she called, not pausing for a reply.

In less then a minute, she had leapt to the roof outside the Hokage's office to be greeted by a grim Tsunade.

"Konohamaru said it was urgent."

"It is. Naruto's team has returned. They are very severly injured, and I need you to lead one of the healing chambers."

"What about Sasuke?"

"I'm sorry, Sakura. He's dead."

Sakura's heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be true.

"D… D… Dead?"

"Yes. Not intentionally, of course."

"Then… How?"

"Kyuubi."

"But… I thought the seal had been strengthened just recently."

"It was, but Kyuubi has been growing stronger. I reason that he must have found a weak point, and, aided by Naruto's fury, he must have broken free." Tsunade's eyes darkened.

"But… Sasuke… can't be dead."

"He is, Sakura. In fact, it is a miracle that any of our team survived, let alone all of them."

"He can't be dead, though. It's not possible."

Tsunade stood, slamming her fist into the table. Even without chakra, the table buckled under her punch.

"Sakura!" she yelled. "He is dead! The kyuubi reached six tails before Neji and Shikamaru could suppress the chakra. Six! Your friends survived that, through some miracle, and are currently fighting for their lives, and all you think about is Sasuke!"

"Six?" It took a while for this to register in Sakura's mind. "Oh, shit! What happened to Naruto?"

"He is currently under going a procedure to reseal the Kyuubi properly, after which he will need intensive healing. He will be fine. Anyway, I need you to attend those healings now.

Nodding distractedly, her mind returned to Sasuke, Sakura followed a nurse to the healing chambers.

She led the healing of Neji, Lee and Shikamaru, and on her break she visited Ino, who had been healed by Shizune's team. After that, she healed until the sun had set, her mind so consumed by the task that she didn't think of anything else. Once all her friends had been cared for, she visited Naruto.

He was asleep when she entered the room, so she smoothed the sheets around him and brushed the hair from his forehead absentmindedly. This was one of the few times she had ever seen her teammate sleeping. He looked so peaceful.

"Sakura," he croaked suddenly, causing her to jump slightly.

"Naruto?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't bring him back. I broke my promise."

Sakura bit her lip, and repeated the phrase she had said every other time.

"Don't worry. Next time we will both be stronger, and bring him back together."

"This time, there is no next time." He drifted off to sleep again, and Sakura left slowly a few minutes later.

She wandered home through the winding streets of Konoha, paying no mind to the people around her. She had reached her flat and closed the door when the inescapable truth sunk in.

_Sasuke's dead. He's dead. He doesn't exist anymore._

Tears poured down her face as her shoulders began to shake.

_It's not fair._

Stifling a sob, Sakura ran into her room, slamming the door behind her. She threw herself onto her bed and wept into her pillow.

-

After a few moments, Gaara opened the door quietly, worried about Sakura. He had greeted her as she had entered the flat, having decided earlier that he would try to be social, since he would be living with her for possibly another month, but she hadn't seemed to hear him.

He entered the room silently, wondering why she was crying, and where she had been the whole day. He saw her sobbing on the bed, and crept over there, hovering next to her, unsure of what to do. He wasn't used to having people cry around him, other than those he had made cry.

Awkwardly, he sat next to her, still unnoticed. Just as awkwardly, he reached out and stroked her hair, as he had seen Kankuro do to Temari when she had come home upset after another failed dating conquest.

Sakura barely noticed and kept crying, hugging her pillow close to her. Gaara kept stroking her hair, not knowing what else to do. He sat with her as she cried, stroking her hair carefully until her sobs quieted to snuffles, then turned to deep breathing of sleep.

He slid off her bed without disturbing her, and stood over her, watching her sleep. She looked so innocent and fragile, her face stained with tears, that Gaara felt a sudden urge to protect her from any sort of pain. He was shocked at himself for this, as he had not felt protective over an individual for many years. It was a feeling that caused weakness, and weakness was something he had tried to eradicate from his life.

Gaara knew he should not have any sort of feelings for this girl. He had only stayed with her a couple of days, and he had found her attempts to get him talking so annoying. Her bubbly personality conflicted with everything about him; it wasn't possible for them to get along.

Looking at Sakura, a ray from a streetlight outside shining onto her face, he frowned.

_I shall have to ignore these feelings. They will detract from my loyalty to the village. It was silly to even think to consider allowing these feelings._

He looked at her disdainfully, the girl who had found some way into the fortress he had been creating since his youth.

_It's not like she's that much to look at anyway, _he reasoned. _I mean, she has a big forehead. And look at her hair, it's so unnatural. And her eyes. I hate that colour. Its so… in between, not right for someone's eyes. _

_**Much like your own, **_a voice said from his subconscious, one that sounded to him like a cross between Shukaku and Temari. _**You two match. And you don't really think she's ugly, do you? Don't lie to yourself.**_

_Oh, shut up. I thought I was rid of you when Shukaku was removed._

_**Nope, I'm a voice that YOU created, not that demon. Though, he did help.**_

_So you're a leftover from him in my mind._

_**Am not. **_

_Whatever. Ignoring of you begins now. _

**((AN: Sorry for weird in-mind stuff, but it's really the only way I can get some stuff across. And I am bored.))**

Gaara stared at the roof, thinking about what his new-found inner self had said.

_I must not let these feelings get to me. I shall block them out from now on. _

He was interrupted from his musings by a series of distressed mutters from the bed. After one glance at Sakura's face, red and distressed, but frail, all thoughts of ignoring his feelings went out the window.

_Tomorrow. I shall ignore them starting tomorrow. Or maybe I should keep them until she can take care of herself… _

Frowning at himself for doing so, he removed her shoes and her bag of ninja equipment, and pulled the duvet of the bed over her. He closed the curtains, and, with a last glance at the girl in bed, went into the lounge and closed the door.

------

**There you have it. Next chapter should be up soonish, depending on how many chores I get, and how social my friends decide to be.**

**Oh, and Gaara will be rather OOC from now on. Something like a lovestruck teen on his first date. Gruesome. But then again, nothing is written to prove that he is not like this, am i right?**

**Anyway, all reviews recieve imaginary cookies!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took so long. Its the heat. Makes me lazier...**

**If i owned them, GaaSaku would be canon. Maybe.**

**------**

The next morning, Sakura awoke with an ache in her stomach. Her pillow was spotted with damp patches, and her arms were sore from clutching it to her face. She couldn't work out why, for a few seconds, then she remembered the events of the pervious day. A wave of misery swept over her, and she felt her throat tightening as she fought off tears.

She struggled with herself for a moment, trying to do what a proper kunochi would do and not cry. She had almost given in to tears when she noticed something odd, something that distracted her from the thought of death. Several something's, actually.

One, she was still in her training clothes from the day before.

Two, she was wearing neither her shoes, nor her bag of equipment, which was odd, as she could not remember taking them off.

And three, she could smell food cooking in her kitchen. Or rather, burning.

She got out of be, grimacing at the stiffness of her limbs. From her wardrobe, she shoved on her proper pajama's, and dragged on a sleeping gown. She shuffled over to the door and opened it, blinking furiously at the light in the lounge.

After the few moments it took for her eyes to adjust to the brightness, she saw Gaara in the kitchen, struggling with a spatula to get a substance that looked like egg from a pan. He hadn't seen her yet.

"Good morning," Sakura's voice was slightly croaky.

Gaara twitched, and look around, a very slight smile on his lips.

"Good morning, Sakura-chan. How are you? Are you hungry?"

"Better. And, yes, I am hungry."

"That's good. I made breakfast." He gestured at the contents of the pan, which showed clearly how little he cooked. Sakura smiled faintly and sat at the breakfast bar, pulling over a plate that he had just dished up.

_He seems talkative today._ She thought, taking a bite of whatever was on her plate.

It was surprisingly good, even though it looked… disgusting. When she glanced at Gaaras plate though, she saw he had kept the burnt food to himself.

"Its really good," she smiled slightly.

Gaara blushed lightly, and swallowed a large mouthful all at once, then suddenly began to choke. Coughing and spluttering, he motioned for a drink, but Sakura was already forcing one into his hand. He drank quickly, and the coughing soon subsided.

"Thanks," he smiled sheepishly and Sakura gave a quiet giggle.

They ate again in silence for a while longer, then Gaara's curiosity got the better of him.

"Um… Sakura-chan… May I ask…"

"Why I was crying?" Sakura finished for him. _He is VERY talkative today. That's the first time he's started a conversation the whole time he's been here._

"Yeah, that."

"The Sasuke retrieval team returned. They didn't bring him back. Kyuubi almost broke free. Sasuke is dead." She spoke with no emotion in her voice, then suddenly burst into tears.

Putting down the piece of toast she was holding, she tried to wipe away her tears, but only succeeded in putting a trail of crumbs and butter across her cheeks, while the tears kept coming.

Unsure of what to do, Gaara began to rub her back hesitantly, slightly astonished by this sudden outburst of emotion. He was even more astonished when she turned towards him and leant on his shoulder, still crying. He put his arm around her awkwardly, his heart pounding nervously at how close they were. He held her as she cried, until her sobs became pathetic sounding hiccups.

"I…I'm sorry. I-I'm a kunochi, we a-aren't meant to sh-show emotion. I'm s-sorry." She sniffed, pulling away from Gaara and wiping her eyes, spreading more butter and crumbs on her face.

"You don't need to apologize." He reached across the breakfast bar and grabbed some tissues. "It's okay to mourn a lost teammate." He handed her the tissues, and she wiped her face with a grateful smile.

"Do you want to come see Naruto in the hospital with me today?" Sakura asked suddenly.

Gaara nodded, wanting to see how is first and closest friend was.

Sakura stood, swayed a little bit, regained her balance and looked at the clock. 10:50. Visiting hours began in 10 minutes.

"Let's go then." Sakura strode quickly to the door and threw it wide, walking out without a backwards glance. Gaara quickly followed, stepping out the door as she began down the steps.

"Sakura-chan, wait!" he called out, making her pause and look back. "Your, um, attire is, um, well…"

Sakura looked down and her eyes widened when she remembered she was still in her pajamas, with her hair all messy and a lot of crumbs still on her tear-streaked face.

"Yes, right then." She hurried back inside, shutting the door in Gaara's face as he began to follow. He opened it cautiously, in time to see her walk into the door frame as she tried to go into her room. She span dizzily away from the door, and tried a second time, with more success.

Now very anxious, Gaara walked to the door and stood just outside it, peering in to the dark interior. Sakura was grabbing things out of her wardrobe, and as she turned around, arms full, she tripped over the hem of her dressing gown, falling face-first into the wooden side of her bed with a sickening crunch.

Swearing, Gaara rushed over to her and crouched down beside her. Sakura began to cry as she tried to sit up, a trembling hand reaching to her face and pulling away covered in blood. Gaara expected her to scream, or cry harder at the sight of blood, like most girls he knew, even ninja's, would have. But Sakura stopped crying and shaking, calmly observing the blood on her hand. She stood suddenly, and walked from the room on steadier feet than before, Gaara trailing behind her.

Sakura went into her bathroom, and washed the blood off her hands. She observed her face in the mirror, covered in blood, and touched her nose tentatively, making her wince.

"Broken nose," she muttered.

Gaara hovered in the door way, not sure if she was muttering to herself, or for his benefit.

Sakura gathered healing chakra into her hand, and, gritting her teeth, wrenched her nose back into place, before properly healing it there. She checked her appearance in the mirror again before turning to Gaara, who was staring at her in awe.

"Just give me a minute, and I'll be ready."

Gaara nodded absentmindedly, still amazed by the skill and minimal fear of pain that Sakura had. Then he started, realizing something.

"You shouldn't be going anywhere, not in the state you're in at the moment." He reached his hand out to her in a motion to stop her.

Sakura walked towards the door, batting his hand away.

"Nonsense, I'm fine. It's just early."

Sakura stopped before him, and motioned for him to move from the doorway he was blocking. He stayed there, and Sakura stared up at him defiantly, lip sticking out stubbornly, until he gave in and moved aside. She walked past him, head held high, then stumbled forward a bit, and fell backwards.

Gaara caught her as she fell, by pure chance as he had began to follow her at just that moment. Her weight made him fall back, landing roughly against the doorframe, and slide down to sitting, Sakura unconscious in his lap.

Cursing loudly, he gently slid Sakura off his lap, and stood. He bent down, picked her up bridal-style, and hurried her to her room.

x-x-x-x-x

Sakura awoke, her head throbbing viciously. Opening her eyes seemed too difficult, as was moving any part of her body. She could tell she was on her own bed, but she could not remember how she had gotten there. All she could remember was walking out of her bathroom, then… nothing.

She could feel a wet weight on her forehead, and something else wet wiping her face gently. She opened her eyes slowly, allowing them to focus themselves.

Gaara was wiping the blood from her face, which Sakura had forgotten to wipe off earlier, but he withdrew his hand when she opened her eyes.

"Gaara." She sat up shakily, with Gaara supporting her.

"Are you okay?"

"I think so. But, I think you're right, I shouldn't be going anywhere." She smiled vaguely. "Can you go see Naruto for me and tell him why I can't visit him?"

"Of course," Gaara smiled agreeingly, **(AN: I don't think agreeingly is even a word, but whatever.)** glad she was seeing sense. He stood to go, and was about to walk into the lounge when Sakura called out,

"Gaara." He turned to her. "Thanks. For looking after me, even through my stubbornness."

"No problem." He smiled, his first proper smile for a few years.

x-x-x-x-x

Gaara stepped apprehensively through the door of Naruto's ward into the dim light, thinking about the nurses warning of his condition. Apparently, Naruto was refusing to speak, or even look at anyone, though Gaara was hoping that he would be a different story. Naruto was currently lying on his bed, blankets pulled up to his chin, his back to the door.

"Naruto."

The blonde didn't respond.

"Naruto." Gaara spoke more firmly this time.

Nothing.

Sighing, Gaara walked over to the window at Naruto's bedside, and peered at him through the darkness. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and his face peaceful. Naruto appeared for all the world to be asleep. However, Gaara knew better.

"Naruto, you're not fooling me."

Still no reply.

"You know I can tell when you're not asleep. Remember that time, when you visited Suna to resolve that issue involving those Mist nin? And you were going to try to prank me in the middle of the night, so you pretended to be asleep. It was so obvious that you weren't. You're easy to read. Like a book, really."

More silence.

"Fine then. You rude, worthless ninja."

"Go away." Gaara knew exactly how to get a response from Naruto.

"Ah. That's more like it."

"What do you want? Can't you just leave me alone? It's all I want." The blonde turned away from his friend.

Gaara sat on the end of Naruto's bed, looking thoughfully at the roof.

"Now, why would you want that?"

"Like you don't know. Sakura would have told you. You're staying with her, aren't you? Where is she, anyway? "

"She wasn't feeling well enough to come. I mean, you can only expect that after she broke her nose and fainted."

"She did WHAT?"

"Broke her nose and fainted. She also walked into her doorframe." Gaara said offhandedly. "But she's alright now. And stop changing the subject. I want you to say it."

"Say what?"

"Why you don't want to talk to anyone."

"Why does it matter?"

"Because it does. Now say it." Gaara spoke in a final tone, which sounded vaguely reminiscent of his old maniacal do-what-I-say-or-I-will-crush-you voice.

"I killed Sasuke," he murmured. "I fucking killed him! I should never have gone on that mission. I knew my anger would get the best of me, and I knew Kyuubi was getting stronger, but no, I was so prideful, I wanted to prove I could bring him back. To show I could control myself. And now, he won't come back. He can't. Ever."

A long silence followed this outburst. Gaara opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't think of anything to say.

"Naruto, I…"

"Don't say anything. Just leave me alone."

Gaara stood and walked to the door, knowing he had pushed Naruto further than he should have. With a last glance at his friend, he closed the door and stepped into the hallway.

x-x-x-x-x

Sakura stared at the roof, trying to sleep, trying to do anything but think. It wasn't working very well.

The room was stifling, as any room would be with the curtains closed in the middle of the day.

Her throat felt like sandpaper, and her stomach was beginning to complain.

Gaara wasn't back yet.

And Sasuke was dead.

No matter how hard she tried, her thoughts always returned to Sasuke.

Naruto had said that there was no way that Sasuke could come back. That there couldn't be a next time. Tomorrow, Sakura intended to prove him wrong.

------

**DUN DUN DUN**

**What do you think'll happen now?**

**Yea.. Please review!! It makes me happy!**

**I'll try write the next chapter when i'm away camping, but i may not get it up until after the 10th, due to school restarting and such.**


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